Beautiful little Monday with a side of Urgent Care.

Today was just fun.  Some days are hard.  Some days are super hard but today was just a really good day.  We slept in (loving this no school thing!) and then started playing!  We built a fort, played "kitchen", went outside and then had an early lunch so we could get to the zoo.  The sun was SO warm and sunny-just a perfect day! Then it got a little crazy at the end...here are some pictures from our adventure!

I love Hutchinson's expressions!  These were all taking within seconds of each other!  Silly boy loves to dance (even without music) and always seems to have a beat in his head! 

Hutchinson LOVES the zoo.  He has so much fun checking out the animals and I think he just likes being old!  It is member appreciation month, so the boys got get something extra today!  Hutchinson picked "Ba-Man" for his special treat!

 

Finnean picked face painting...how can you pass up Spidey!?

 

Monday is FREE train ride day at the zoo for members...so we love Mondays at the zoo!
The boys LOVE watching the animals from the train.  Highlights today were seeing the lions sleeping with their legs in the air and hearing the watusi's moo when we went by!  Hutchinson spends most of his time saying "choo choo!" Finnean spends most of his time spying...everything! 

We hit up the Sculpture Park on our way home from the zoo.  Michael had a 6 pm meeting, so it was nice to see him for a bit after work.  The sky was crazy blue.  The clouds were perfect and the Sculpture Park has this lush, thick green grass...perfect for exploring.  The hill by the Nomad is always a favorite and both boys spent most of their time running up and down it (well, Finnean rolls down).  Have I mentioned that I LOVE this city?

 

I snapped this picture while STOPPED at a stop light.  This crazy cloud was rolling in.  Little did we know that there was some nasty weather heading our way. 

 

After we got back from the city, it got crazy.  We just got in the door and Finnean fell down the stairs and hit his head on the trunk at the bottom of our steps.  I didn't see it but he was screaming like crazy.  At first I just thought he was over reacting (like normal) and then saw some blood on his arm.  I got him to the bathroom but he wouldn't let me look at it.  He was still screaming and I found a good sized goose egg and a little scrap.  I thought that must be it.  I got him calmed down and got them some dinner...THEN the storm sirens started going off.  We were under a tornado warning...really!? AGAIN!  The boys needed baths anyways, so we head to the basement bathroom again, just to be safe.  When I was washing Finnean's hair I found some more blood and the HOLE IN HIS HEAD!  Michael was still at his meeting, so I couldn't take him in to the Urgent Care right then...so we just finished up our routine and waited for him to get home.  Thankfully the storm passed and I got Hutchinson to bed.  Finnean happily watched The Backyardigans and then we headed to the doctor.

 

This is how we decided to keep the "boo-boo" pack on :)

 

 

The sky was CRAZY on the way to the doctor.  I snapped this one when we got there.  Finnean kept saying, look at those clouds!  Part of the sky was bright blue, another this pink and then the other crazy dark and stormy!  We got to see a lot of lighting, which was a great distraction!  We also saw a rainbow and Finnean knows that Jesus makes those after the rain, so he really liked that! 

There weren't too many people at the Urgent Care but we you tell them there is a hole in your kid's head, you get right in.  They told us we needed the one staple, just to make sure it didn't open back up.  Finnean was a champ!  He didn't mind them putting the numbing gel on and didn't even flinch at the staple.  I did, it was GROSS!!  The worse part is when she showed me the hole in his head...it literally was a puncture in his head...ick.  THEN the doctor realized he hasn't had his tetanus booster and she recommended getting it.  He is strong!! I had to hold down his upper body while the two nurses gave him the shot.  The nurse said he would be sore tomorrow because of how tight he had his musles flexed!  Silly boy.  After that trauma, he had to be carried the car...

 

...but as you can see, a stop at Sonic made him feel a lot better.  He is sleeping soundly now and I am exhausted.  I thought for sure that Hutchinson would be the first to get a staple or stitches but Finnean proved me wrong tonight.  Life with boys will never be dull.  I am just thankful that I get to experience it and now I can check staples off the list of things to witness! 

 

 

 

 

Tornado warnings...

We have had some summerlike thunderstorms the past 24 hours.  We got home from our bible study last night and in a panic put about everything we could think of in the downstairs bathroom.  It is hard to not freak out when there is a tornado warning BUT you have to keep it together because Finnean would freak if we did.  So instead of freaking out, we had a "party" in the bathroom.  Nothing a little Curious George couldn't handle.  Thankfully the storm passed and we were okay.  Unfortunately, that is not the case for some folks to the south of us.  Just hearing reports of the OK tornados-makes my heart sad for them and sending prayers their way. 

Easter fun!

Easter was the last day in March this year.  We stayed in Des Moines to celebrate.  It was a crisp sunshiny day and was so great to celebrate the Lord with our dear friends and church family.  We went to breakfast at our church and then headed to the Murphy's for brunch.  They can host quite the meal.  The food was AMAZING.  It was just a great day.   

Waglers 2013

Sweet boys all ready for church!

I did a little photo shoot the week of Easter to capture these handsome boys in their cute get ups!  Hutchinson's bowtie was actually Kelcee's brother's from his childhood and I made Finnean's tie.  The looked so fancy and just so darn cute! Here are a few of my favorites. 

Easter morning! 

Bubbles at the Murphy's!!

Perfect little Saturday.

This morning was awesome.  Just perfect.  Finnean came upstairs about 7:15 and had some cereal in bed with us (no milk but it did get spilled all over me) and watched George on the iPad.  We win "parents of the year" because he watched until 9 am.  Whoops!! Hutchinson slept til then so we didn't need to get up.  It was BLISS!!  We had breakfast together and then headed to the Ankeny Farmer's Market.  It is nothing special but nice to go and look around.  We took Finnean's bike and headed for a long walk/bike ride.  I bet we went 3 miles.  He was such a trooper on his bike and boy was it warm!  It is so nice to be able to exercise together as a family and it is definitely a goal of ours, to stay active.  Finnean spotted birds and Hutchinson cruised along in the stroller.  It was a great way to start the day.

Checking out the little stream.

Snack break.

Tonight we headed to an old friend's house.  Katie and Michael grew up playing together when they were the boys' age and Laura, Katie's sister, is my dear friend.  SO it is the perfect opportunity to get together plus all the husbands get along swell. Laura, Abby and I all went to high school together and have continued our friendship into adulthood.   It is so fun to be mom's together and be able to spend time together catching up.  We find that it is quite hard to have a long converstation with all the running around of little ones but that doesn't stop us from chatting the whole time we are together.  There is always a lot of laughs and stories shared.  It is a bonus that we know Katie too and makes for quite the fun get together.  There were three boys and two girls all under the age of 5...add in a pool, popsicles, a giant sand box, a putting green and it all equals a crazy fun night!  It is quite possible that someone pooped in the yard AND Hutchinson was almost peed on...it was memorable for sure!  As for the weather, it was absolutely perfect out.  We couldn't have asked for a better way to spend a Saturday night!

Katie and Brian have a putting green in their back yard...yes, in their back yard!  Finnean was in heaven!! I bet he hit 300 balls tonight and sunk A LOT of putts.  It was so fun to watch him and boy does he love to golf.  After golf, he moved on to baseball.  He can hit the ball!  He hit one so far that everyone declared it a homerun!  It was so fun to see him play so hard and he was just an awesome little boy tonight. 

So this guy is SUPER OLD!  Look at him!!! Can you believe that this is Hutch baby?  He won't be left behind.  The sandbox was down the hill from where we were all standing around and the big boys went down to play in it.  Michael said that Hutchy realized they were gone and just marched down to play too.  He looked so old.  I almost cried when I saw him down there, looking ridiculously old.  He loved playing golf and just had a great time!

The girls and the babies.  If you notice I am missing a child but he couldn't be bothered with pictures, he had golf balls to hit!  I love when we can get together.  Hutchinson is 6 months older than Piper and Piper 6 months older than Avett.  So fun to see them grow!

LOVE this little face!  He didn't actually eat much of the popsicle but sure did like the idea of it! He showed everyone!         

Oh how we wish Laura lived closer...maybe someday!  I have known these girls since 3rd grade...and that is quite some time ago...20 years?!?!

Oh, Finnean.

Popsicles are way more fun with friends!



Last day of preschool...

Whoa...I have mixed feelings about this.  LAST DAY of school for this year!  Where does the time go?  I just have know idea how nine months flies by so quickly.  Finnean had a little celebration today at his school and he was just about the cutest thing!  He has grown so much this past year and has learned so much.  His favorite part of school was cooking days and playing outside, that is what his teacher said anyway.  He always loved going to school and LOVED playing with his little friends.  Towards the end of the year, he started saying he didn't want to go to school anymore.  I asked his teacher if anything had changed or if he acted like he didn't like school when we was there and she didn't have any concerns about it.  She did say that ALL of the little girls were quite interested in him and he has become quite the ladies man!! WHAT!?  He is too young for girls to be chasing him!!  I did feel better when one of the mom's told me the reason her daughter told her that she liked Finnean is because he is always really nice to her and plays with her...AWWW!  So sweet!  So at least he a nice boy and all that work at home of reminding him to be polite and respect is going to school!  He just makes my heart swell and his face today was priceless when he was doing the Hokey Pokey with his 6 little friends!  He was definitely the silliest dancer on the floor!  We are so proud of this little guy and he has worked hard at being a great friend! 

Grandma Lisa was able to come too!  She was in Ames with Poppa for a conference, so she spent the morning with us!  Finnean and Hutchinson loved that, of course!

This sweet smile!

Finnean and his teacher Ms. Stephanie. 
She was a great fit for a first teacher for Finnean.  She has a very soft voice and is so encouraging to the kids.  We are thankful to have had such a great teacher for Finnean's first year of school!

:)
Hutchinson just cracks me up!  He loves being a big boy!

Finnean wanted to get something little for his friends, so we decided to get them balloons.  They are always a hit at our house and we found out that Dollar Tree has them for a DOLLAR each!  Can't beat a deal like that.  I asked Finnean what his favorite thing was about each of his little friends.  It was so cute to hear his response and then he signed it and put their name on the front of the card.  I think his little hand writing is the cutest! 

Sweet summertime...for today anyway!

Today we headed to the city to Grey's Lake.  I had a meeting with Patty, our pastor's wife.  We have been meeting for a while now, one time a month.  We do not have a specific plan for our meetings but just a nice chance to chat and it is awesome to have a mentor that is someone from our church.  I really enjoy our time together and since it has been nicer, I have taken the boys along.  They love "Miss Patty" and she seems to enjoy them too :) 
                          

I am pretty sure today's goal was to get as dirty as possible.  We started out just scooping sand (which they did for almost an hour) before we moved closer to the water, THEN it got messy!  They both love to dig, explore and look for treasures of some sort!  It was a beautiful, warm summer-like day.  There was a slight breeze the kept us from getting too hot.  It felt amazing to be out soaking up some vitamin D. 

Hutchinson got dirty like it was his job.  Oh wait, it is.

After our little fun in sand we headed across the street to Water Works Park.  It was simply amazing.  There were SO MANY crab apple trees in bloom and they have so many different varieties.  The smell was almost overwhelming! We picnicked under a HUGE bright pink tree and then the boys set off to do some exploring and the loved reading the tags on each of the trees.  We searched for our favorite and decided that this big white one had to be it.  If you live in Des Moines, you have to stop down there soon and check out this amazing work of nature. 

After our city adventure we headed back to the homestead for some quality rest time.  Finnean is right on the brink of giving up his nap but still needs it...so we have rest time for him and Hutchinson was out like a light.  We had errands to run and then met the Blanchards at the park.  It was a nice surprise, since they have moved to Indianola we just don't get to see them as often as we would like.  Finnean, Grady and Jace just play hard.  It is nice because they don't really need much from the adults...they have a plan and they are going to do it!   Hutchinson just tries to keep up and checks in often with us.   Little Dax brings up the end of the group, he is just about big enough to crawl all over everything, so I think likes watching the big boys in action.  What a fun way to end such a great day!  We had to get the extremely dirty boys a bath and then get to bed for the LAST DAY of preschool tomorrow! I have mixed feelings about this.  It just makes him seem so much older that he is done with one year of preschool but I am so looking forward to whatever the summer as in store for us...hopefully many more days like today!

Where does the time go?

Due to my lack of blogging, this is my attempt to catch up on what our lives are like right now.  It is hard to remember to blog because I use Instagram everyday (which is like a photo journal of our days) so I forget to update this.  So here we go...

How is this sweet boy almost TWO years old?  I am amazed how much he has changed in the last year.  Hutchinson is going to love summer-everything about it.  Last year he spent most of the time in a stroller it seemed-he didn't walk until almost 15 months so by the time he was walking...it was cold outside.  He LOVES to be outside.  He loves to play anything that includes a ball.  Basketball or "ba-ball" is a favorite.  He loves golf and has started connecting on his swing!  You have to be on the look out when he is playing golf, he can get a hold of it!  He loves to explore, climb, jump, get dirty, color and just about anything that is big brother AKA Bo-Bo does.  Hutchinson is Finnean's little shadow.  He attempts to do everything he does and is pretty good at copying his every move.  He is a smart little boy, he doesn't have has many words as Finnean did at this age but boy does he know what is going on.  He adds words everyday it seems and is a pro at making animal noises!  My favorite is when he does an elephant and throws his arm up like a trunk.  He says Dad, Hi Dad, Hey Dad just about as clear as Finnean does.  Sometimes you don't know who said it.  He does NOT on the other hand say Mom, Momma, Mommy.  He can say it, I have heard it BUT he refuses (okay maybe not refuses but he won't call me MOM and is makes me a little sad!).  He sometimes calls me Beee-beee (baby) but that is about it.  I have no idea why.  He knows I am his mom but he sure doesn't want to say it!  Another  cute word that he says...bubb-bles...oh it just melts my heart!  H is smitten with Jerry and you can often find him giving him a hug or just sitting next to him giggling.  I think Jerry's beard cracks him up.  Hutchinson has a pretty awesome laugh.  He loves to be tickled and that is one of Finnean's favorite things (he told me) about Hutchinson is when he laughs.  He LOVES to throw things...that would be great if it was limited to balls but it is not.  Cups, forks, plates, trucks, cars...the list goes on and on.  If he is done with it, he moves on by throwing it!   This boy absolutely loves to read.  He brings me books all the time and snuggling up before bed and reading is probably one of his favorite things.  His favorite thing to find in a book is a moon or a flag.  Is currently obsessed with both of these things.  He can spot a flag anywhere and can say it too.  He waves his little hand saying "flag, flag, flag, flag, flag!"  He also says WHOA!! or WOW!! and those are pretty cute too.  I love hearing what his little voice sounds like.  I am sure that he doesn't talk has much as Finnean did because Finnean talks SO MUCH!  :)  H loves going to the library and listening to stories.  He plays trains and loves to color the coloring sheets there.  We usually have a bagel date at the local bagel shop once a week.  He LOVES eavesdropping on the little old lady gossip and bats his eyelashes at them to get their attention.  His favorite is a warm blueberry bagel---I have tried it, he is on to something.  He seems to enjoy our time together while Finnean is at preschool but always gets a big smile when I tell it is time to go get Bo-Bo from school.  We recently gave up the paci.  He has been doing pretty good, just a few nights he couldn't get back to sleep without it BUT we just gave it up cold turkey...so there is no going back!   He is getting faster!  He is figuring out how to bend his knees and really pick up speed (this might be the end of me).  He loves to draw.  You can usually find him with a hotwheel or two in his little chubby fingers.  We don't really go anywhere with 4.  Two for each boy.  H is still pretty petite.  It will be interesting to see how much he has grown at his 2 year check up.  He wears size 4 diapers and will be moving to size 5 soon.  Most of his clothes are 12-18 months but will be moving on up soon.  He has these beautiful, big brown eyes with crazy long eye lashes.  I am pretty sure he knows I am sucker for long lashes and has me wrapped about his little fingers.  His little legs are chubby along with his little belly.  He has these little love handles that are probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.  His cheeks are still round but his face is starting to look like a little boy and not a baby.  I have to remind myself of that often, he is growing up and he needs to be treated like a big boy and not a baby sometimes.  He is a momma's boy but he sure loves his daddy too.  He can't get enough of Grandma and Poppa Wagler.  He calls Grandma, GaGa and it is pretty stinking cute.  All and all he is just a happy kid.  He loves to play and play hard.  We couldn't imagine our lives with our little Hutchinson Reyes Wagler. 

I ask Michael probably everyday..."How did we get so lucky?"  I feel so blessed to have these three boys in my life.  I just continue to soak them up and be thankful.  We try and have as much fun as possible together.  We are working hard to raise polite and respectful little boys.  We want to give them as many experiences as possible and show them how to be kind.  We say those four words a lot at our house.  Polite, respectful & be kind.  We want them to know what it means to volunteer or to be active in your church.  We want them to be passionate about something or many things. We have found that parenting is hard.  I know, I know you are shocked by this but it is really hard BUT it seems the really hard times are countered greatly by the good times.  We have knock down, drag out temper tantrums, struggles to eat dinner, lack of listening etc. etc. but all of those are overshadowed by the fun we have together and that we get to spend each day snuggling up and reading books or going on adventures or being superheros or building the biggest lego tower to date.  We are learning from our mistakes, we are making mistakes and we are just trying to be the best parents for Finnean and Hutchinson.  WOW-this caption got much sappier than I intended but my heart is just so full, I had to share it.  It is not always rainbows and unicorns around here but we do have it pretty good.  For that I am so thankful. 

This guy.  WOW!  He is old.  He is sassy.  He is just so darn funny.  Finnean has the best facial expression and loves to talk.  Oh my word, this boy loves to talk.  I think there is some word quota he is going for each day.  Thankfully with all those words he shares funny stories, reads books to Hutchinson, makes up adventures that we are going on, tells me about his day, recalls the tiniest of memories from our past...so I am thankful for all those words he speaks each day but goodness, sometimes it is exhausting!  He loves school and really thrives there.  He will be done on Wednesday with preschool until the fall where he will go 5 mornings a week (this has been a very tough decision for us-so many pros and cons) but he needs the social interaction and he absolutely loves to learn.  He is eager to find out new things at school and is the first to notice if something is different in the class room.  F has an AMAZING attention to detail.  This has been somewhat of a struggle in the past, making him a bit reluctant to change but going to school has really helped with becoming more flexible.  He is learning that his friends don't always want to play what he wants and how to deal with that.  He loves art.  He loves the Sculpture Park downtown and is probably one of his favorite places to visit.  He loves to explore and he has such a kind heart.  If he finds a bug, he calls it his friend.  The tree in our front yard is his friend.  He loves to watch birds and animals.  He is really into picking up litter or "glitter" as he calls it sometimes.  He is so soft-hearted but struggles with controlling his emotions.  We work hard on that.  His outbursts happen less often and we learn something new from each one.  He loves to play pretend.  Superheros, babies, Mario cart, baby horses...the list goes on and on.  I love his imagination.  He loves to write.  He is really good at writing his name and can spell a few words on his own.  He is sounding out words and has the craziest memory-tell him something once and he can remember it.  He loves to read.  F loves hot wheels and always has some with him.  He loves his train set and legos.  He is particular and likes things to be in order.  He is a preservationist already, loves old buildings.  Anything to do with a construction site is super awesome.  He loves to help Michael work on any project and still is a spitting image of him.  He loves his daddy and watching their bond continue to form is so neat and probably one of the best parts of my job.  He is kind of a momma's boy but I guess that is what happens when you are together most of the time.  He love the "city" and going to the city, everything about the city really.  He is feisty, always testing us and seeing how we will respond.  He is so observant.  He loves to ride his bike and go on family walks.  F loves to cook and help in the kitchen.  He is awesome at making friends at the park and likes to find new kids to play with.  He is so much fun to be around.  He challenges, oh does he challenge me.  We are both pretty emotional, so that makes for an interesting combo some days.  We have a lot of fun together and I love that get to watch him grown each day. 

I feel like I have the best job in the world.  It is probably one of the hardest things I will ever do.  Being at home with the two boys, full time with a husband that travels sometimes can be very exhausting/stressful/crazy/hard but I would not trade it for anything.  I get to see the little accomplishments, I get to teach them things, I get to show them the world.  I still hate changing diapers (hopefully by the end of the year we will be DONE with them!!) and I strongly dislike temper tantrums but that is real life.  I get to be there for so many teachable moments.  I learn from them everyday.  I get experience things I would never have stopped and checked out if it weren't for these two little boys.  I am working on my paper airplane skills and I can build a mean lego tower.  I am a coach, a cheerleader, a chauffer, a cook, a maid...the list goes on and on but because I do all of those things...I get to stay at home with my boys.  I get to see them grow each day.  Thankfully because of my amazing husband, I get to do things for myself as well.  Bare Root continues to thrive.  It is crazy being a small business co-owner.  We have so much fun and I am so lucky to be able to have a business that I love with one of my dearest friends.  I recently ran a 10K.  Something I NEVER EVER IN MY LIFE thought I could do.  The end wasn't pretty (Michael took pictures...thanks babe) but I did it.  AND my time really wasn't that bad at all.  I finished in 1 hour, 2 minutes and 11 seconds.  10 minute miles is just fine with me.  I want to do another one and see if I can finish in an hour or less.  Good to have a goal, right!?  I just feel like I was put on this planet to be a momma.  I am not sure what I am going to do "when I grow up" but I am sure that something will fall into place.  I am not losing sleep over that right now.  I have children to help me lose sleep :)  For right now, I just focus my energy on how to be a better mother each day to those beautiful boys.  I recently read something about how easy it is to compare ourselves with each other and how hard we can be on ourselves but the moral of the article was that you are the best mom for your child, I am the best mom for Finnean and Hutchinson.  So that is my goal each day, be the best momma I can be for those sweet boys.  I have to mention that not only do I have an amazing husband but I have an awesome friend support group and family that help me with the boys.  There is no way that we do this on our own, I am thankful for that!

I looked for a picture of this handsome fellow by himself but I couldn't find one....note to self-take pictures of Michael.  Michael continues to work hard for us so that I can stay home with the boys.  He is doing GREAT (not that I had any doubt) in his job and it is hard to believe that it has been a year since took his new position on the MSI team.  He is staying fit by taking Jerry for good walks each night, I am so thankful for this!!  M recently joined our Church Council and has taken on a big project with the council to raise funds to rebuild our stairs on the front of our church.  I am so proud of him for getting involved.  He helps keep our house in order and is the rational one in our house.  He brings a calm to our house that we need.  When everything is going to hell, I know that I can count on him to be a voice of reason.  We are a good match that is for sure.  He is my rock. M still loves to play golf and I hope that he can get out there this summer a few times.  He is an amazing dad, AMAZING.   I am one lucky gal.  Not only does he work outside the home and bring home the bacon for us, he is a diaper-changing, adventure taking, supper cooking, lego-building, book reading, toilet cleaning, fort building, Mario cart racing, disciplining, guitar loving, knowledge sharing dad. The boys' faces just light up when they hear the door open each night.  He is not inside for 20 seconds before he is being asked to play legos or to "watch this".  He is just amazing.  It is hard to believe that 7 years ago this month he asked me to marry him.  We have been having fun ever since.  Thank you, Michael Wagler, for being the best husband for me and the best daddy that Finnean and Hutchinson could ask for. 

the rest of wisconsin...

Sooo..about six months ago we went to Wisconsin.  I never blogged about it but I want to blog about it...so here it is-super late but still full of awesome memories and great pictures that we captured from our first BIG family vacation as a family of four! 

After we left Madison, we heading to Milwaukee to stay with the Dolan's.  They are good people, really good people.  They should probably just move to Iowa. :) Anyway, we met them through "Uncle Trav" in college and have always loved their company.  Travis met us there for the weekend and we had a great time!  We had the PERFECT sunshiny day to visit Lake Michigan.  The boys played in the sand and splashed a bit in the water.  I can just feel that warm sunshine.  Finnean loved exploring and Hutchinson loved the sand between his toes.  The top picture is one of my all time favorites of Hutchinson and me.  I love that boy, his smile and the way he can make me smile!

Playing with our friends!  Bennett and Uncle Trav!  Finnean loved being the big kid and did great showing the little boys how to play!  Hutchinson was just learning to stand on his one...looking pretty good!  I love the top middle picture of Finnean pondering life while Michael shows Hutchinson the water. 

BEACH BOYS!

After the beach we snuck in naps for the babes and then headed to a Brewers game.  The stadium is amazing!  Such a fun backdrop for a little tailgating!  The last time we were at a game, Finnean was in my belly!!! So it has been a while.  We had a great time.  I LOVE the family picture.  Finnean did NOT want to be in the picture but I made Travis keep him in it, just so we can poke fun of him someday when his girlfriends are over looking at pictures!  Hutchinson loved being the center of attention as he was practicing his standing and I am pretty sure that he ate a half of a watermelon while we were tailgating. 

Finnean was pretty impressed with the big stadium as we walked up to it.  He thought it was SO HUGE when we got inside.  He spent a lot of his time checking out everything around him.  Both boys did awesome, even though it was kind of a late night.  We only lost it once when a huge home run was hit and it was LOUD!!!  We recovered and Finnean ate peanuts the rest of the game :)  Tim and Jana's neighbor hooked us up with some sweet tickets!  When we were walking to our seats we just kept getting closer and closer to the field.  We right by 3rd base and just about 10 rows up.  It was so neat to be so close.  What a fun adventure!!  We spent our evening as Tim and Jana's out by the fire.  It was great to catch up and we can't wait to go back!!

Best. Ice Cream. Ever.
Before we headed to Milwaukee we stopped on the UW campus for a little walk around and it visit Union Terrace.  It is just beautiful.  People everywhere, fun colorful seating and it is right on the lake.  Sailboats coming in and out and best of all, you get to eat some of the best ice cream ever.  We had a blast and this was one of favorite parts of the trip. 

I had to add this picture of Finnean.  He was SO worn out after all of that vacationing.  This was the day we were coming home.  Sweet, tired boy!

We made a pit stop in Dubuque on the way back.  Great place to stretch our legs and they have a lot of public art on their river walk.  We definitely want to go back and check it out when we have more time.  As you can see, Finnean is very into the map on the art walk!

Almost 18 months.

Almost 18 months!? What!? How can that be!?  Where did my tiny baby go?  He is not a tiny baby anymore.  In fact, he is a full-blown toddler.  Just a few things about what Hutchinson is up too this days:

• He is FULL of jibber jabber.  He is so expressive and has this sweet little squealing giggle.  He is ALWAYS making noise, I wonder where he gets that from? He can say Dad and Hi Dad, as clear as Finnean can.  He says ball, car, pleeeeease, more and something that sounds like thank you and love you!  He is amazing at communicating.  He knows what he wants and if you ask him about something he will answer yes but nodding his head very matter of factly.  He is gaining new words everyday-this weekend he said GaGa.  We were at Grandma Lisa's and it is for sure that he knows she is GaGa!  It is soooo cute! 
• He is FAST!  He loves to run around and I think he thinks is about 3 1/2. He climbs-O BOY does he climb.  He loves to get on the kitchen chairs and I am afraid that the table is not to far away from being on top of! 
• He loves cars and you can usually find him toting one (or three) around with him.  He LOVES to read.  He brings me books all throughout the day and just makes himself at home on my lap.  I don't ever want that to end.  It just might be the cutest thing ever.  He backs himself up and just plops down.  He can walk backwards and just learned to turn in circles. He loves to play ball and he LOVES to throw things.  I don't particularly care for this skill but he sure seems to enjoy it.  So does Jerry-he gets all the food Hutchinson throws. 
• Speaking of Jerry, this boy loves his Jerry dog.  He loves to hug him and give him nice touches.  I think sometimes he tries "talking" to him but Jerry isn't much of a chatter.
• Hutchinson loves his brother.  I don't even know where to begin.  No one can make Hutchinson laugh as hard as Finnean does.  On Friday, Finnean was peeking him and his laugh just came from his toes.  I just wanted stop time and let that moment go on forever.  Finnean thinks it is this best thing since peanut butter to make him laugh.  They play together and they fight over cars.  If Hutchinson has something, Finnean is for sure to want it.  Not so much vice versa...yet!  They spend time playing "chase", racing cars, going in the tent, reading books, being baby puppies and playing Legos.  It is so fun to watch their bond grow each day. 
• Hutchinson has some killer fine motor skills.  This boy can stack legos and blocks like no body's business.  He even stacks blueberries!  He must have gotten this from watching his brother :)
• The newest and cutest thing Hutchinson has started doing is "folding his hands."  We pray before nap time and bedtime and last week he started putting his hands together.  Heart melted.  Today we were snuggling and I forgot to start praying after our books and he put his hands together.  I asked him if he wanted to say his prayers and he squealed with delight.  So sweet!
• He still has me wrapped around his tiny chubby fingers.  I am working on making sure I don't treat him like a baby, since he is being such a big boy.
• He is quick with a smile and loves to giggle.  He waves and LOVES to say Bye-Bye!  He also says the sweetest, Nigh-Nigh! 
• Hutchinson has been busy learning where his nose and ears are.  He loves to wiggle his tongue when you ask him where it is-thanks to Poppa, who taught him that on Facetime one night.  He loves to  pat his belly and knows that his shoes and socks go on his toes!  The cutest is when he blinks his eyes at you when you ask him where is eyes are. 
• He is quite the momma's boy but oddly enough he doesn't say my name. ever. I am trying not to have my feelings hurt about this but come on little thing! 
• His new thing is when he get frustrated he bites his finger or whatever he is holding, really hard.  I wish he wouldn't do this but hopefully it is just a stage. 
• He is loud! So loud.  He loves to yell and scream for no real reason at all.  Finnean hates this because he thinks Hutchinson his yelling at him.  He is such a sensitive soul that he started to get sad-he better toughen up.  I think Hutchinson will be roughing him up before we know it!
• Overall I would say that he is just a happy, free spirited little boy.  He loves to play hard and he sleeps hard.  It is so fun watching him grow.  SO hard to believe that just 18 months ago he was this little! He has stolen our hearts and we can't wait to see what the next 18 months has in store for us!

Hopefully I will get some pictures on here soon :)

A few things I have to remember...

• Last night after Finnean's first Christmas concert (more on that cuteness later!), Michael asked him what his favorite part was about the night.  Finnean responded "Having you there was my favorite part." ughhhh, talk about heart melted.  I don't think he was even talking about me but my goodness...that boy gets me.
• Yesterday we were out shopping and Finnean said that he wanted to get himself some Cars slippers.  I told him that he told Santa that, so we just need to wait and see.  THEN he pointed out that he hasn't seen Santa this year and still hasn't told him...so looks like we are going to see Santa this weekend.   I have a suspicion that Santa is bringing Cars Slippers :)
• I was telling Michael that we needed to go see Santa and Finnean asked Michael what he wanted from Santa.  Michael responded...hmmm, I don't know some socks.  Finnean shouts from the backseat...WE ALREADY GOT YOU SOCKS!!!! Silly boy. 
• Hutchinson started saying Uh-oh!!!  SOOO cute!! But not really that cute when he is throwing random stuff in the trash.  His new favorite thing to do.
• He can pump his fist when you say GOOOO CYCLONES!  He also can identify anything ISU.  He sees it and smiles and shouts.  Did I mention that he is loud? 

I know there are more things to write but I have a little button pusher trying to help me post this!! :)

WHOA!!! Birthday Extravaganza!!

So...Finnean turned four!!  What! How can that be, you might ask.  It is true.  He is super old.  Super smart and super funny.  This is all my unbiased oppinoin, of course.  First, we will start with an update on what Finnean has been up too and then we will get to details of all that celebrating! 

 

Being four means...

-loving preschool and and loving your teacher, Ms. Stephanie.

-loving any thing that has wheels.  (You can usually find him with at least two cars in his hands.)

-being a rather picky eater.

-knowing all of your letters, writing them and knowing most of the sounds they make.

-loving baking or cooking, especially with Mom.

-playing with friends, even though it is hard sometimes.

-learning about all kinds of things.

-struggling to eat anything but breakfast.  (this trait might be the end of me!)

-bring curious.

-loving sports.  Football is a favorite.

-being obsessed with music.  Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson and "kids" music are on the top of the list.

-teaching your little brother how to be a big kid and giving him lots of love.

-enjoying I Spy books.

-loving hanging with Dad and going on adventures.

-loving "fixing" things.

-enjoying talking. A lot.

...well I guess not all four year olds love these things, but Finnean sure does!

 

 

 

FIRE STATION BIRTHDAY!!
Finnean kept saying that he wanted a fire truck birthday.  I kept wondering how I was goign to make a fire truck cake.  Then Kelcee mentioned that her neice had a birthday AT the fire station.  Perfect.  So we got it arranged...it was FREE and the kids had a blast.  Finnean invited his little preschool friends and some of his old friends.  They had a blast exploring the fire trucks and going down the kid-sized fire pole.  It was a bit scary seeing the fire fighter in all his gear but we managed.  The fire men even got a call while we were there!!  It was pretty exciting to see them put on their gear and get in the truck!  They turned on the lights and sirens as they pulled away.  They were just gone for a bit and came back to finish the tour.  We also saw where they cook and work out.  The kids did great!  It was so fun and Finnean really had a great time!  So thankful that Grandma Lisa watched Hutchinson and one of Finnean's preschool friend's Mom stayed to have an extra set of hands. 

BLOOMFIELD BIRTHDAY!
We celebrated over Thanksgiving with our families.  It was great to have everyone together.  Adam and Maddy were back from Lincoln and Ellie and Carter up from Columbia...so we had some birthday treats and called it a party!  Finnean got to help play dominoes and play with his new Symphony in B toy.  Quite possibly the coolest toy ever.  If you have a music lover, you need to check it out. 

Then we headed over to Grandpa Stevie's.  They made Finnean a really cool dump truck cake and sent him home with a super cool bull dozer.  We played, chatted and celebrated a late Thanksgiving with a spagetti dinner. 

BIRTHDAY PLAY!!
So, Finnean is a pretty special little boy.  Kelcee's brother Matthew is a professer at Iowa State in the theathe department.  He made a kid friendly play that opened the weekend of Finnean's birthday.  Matthew took Finnean backstage, showed him where we would be sitting, took him to meet the actor/actresses (one of them even colored Finnean a picture) and gave him a special cape and eye mask.  Finnean got a little nervous when then lights went down to start the play, so him and Michael stepped out for a bit.  Michael said it was a rough five minutes and thought they were going to have to go get ice cream or something BUT they came back in and we all sat together in the back row.  Finnean, of course, wore his headphones but seemed to really enjoy, Alice in Wonderland.  His favorite character was The White Knight.  It was such a fun experience.  We were thankful that Kelcee and Matt could go to dinner with us.  It was a fun date for Finnean AND he got another super cool present.   The Murphy's got him a Budda Board, a super cool "painting" toy that only uses water and it kind of hard to explain but it is sooooo neat.